


Papilio glaucus

by ijustwantedyoutoneedme



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Blushing, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Rickyl, also Beth and Carl are the same age because i can, basically awkward teenage confessions, everything is cute and awkward, i'm out of here, like lots of blushing don't even get me started
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 06:22:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3436781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ijustwantedyoutoneedme/pseuds/ijustwantedyoutoneedme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“But do I have to go?” Carl tried again, anxious at the idea of going out to the woods with both his fathers and little sister, with no proper shower equipment and more importantly, no cell phone reception.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Papilio glaucus

**Author's Note:**

> Belongs to this AU : "Basically Rick and Daryl are a happily married couple, Lori is the surrogate mother to Carl and Judith and everything is just tooth rotting fluff."  
> And for those who may have missed it in the tags, Beth and Carl are the same age, which would be 17 ish.  
> This was written as part of a drabble challenge with [Opium_du_Peuple](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Opium_du_Peuple/) ([acciosherlockinthetardis](http://acciosherlockinthetardis.tumblr.com) on tumblr) with the prompt "camping".  
> Anyway, I hope y'all like it and don't hesitate to ask questions if you have any :)

“Do we  _really_  have to go?” Carl whined in his father's direction as the older man lifted yet another bag of camping gear off the floor before dropping it in the trunk of their truck. An amused smile turned up at the corners of Rick's mouth the second he heard the distress in his son's voice, looking up only to see the same emotion painted all over his face, which gave the teenager an aggravated look.

“Yes, we do. You know how much your dad loves camping.” The deputy answered in between moving two bags from the driveway to the boot of the Ford, wiping his brow after the exertion. Rick had been going back and forth between the house and the truck for over half an hour now, filling it with all the gear necessary for their little camping trip, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything in the process.

“But do _I_  have to go?” Carl tried again, anxious at the idea of going out to the woods with both his fathers and little sister, with no proper shower equipment and more importantly, no cell phone reception. The teenager had a potential girlfriend to think about, and he was afraid that if he wasn't able to communicate with her for a few days, his chances with her would be blown.

“Yeah ya do, now quit yer whining and get yer ass in the car.” Daryl drawled at his son, his daughter securely locked in his arms as he opened the door to the backseat, dropping her in her booster seat and fastening the five year old's seat belt in the gentlest of ways, totally contrasting with the attitude he had towards the teenager only seconds before.

Carl's shoulders slumped upon hearing his father's words, a look of utter defeat adorning his features as Daryl passed by him, a hand coming up to ruffle his son's hair affectionately, lingering on the back of his neck before gently pushing at his shoulder, guiding the teenager towards his side of the truck. Carl sighed before giving in, jumping in the backseat next to his little sister with a graceless thud as he tucked his phone out of his pants to tell his soon-not-to-be-girlfriend about his plans for the weekend, and that he was afraid he might not be able to text her anymore once they got to the woods. 

Once Daryl had made sure everything was in order and secure, he settled in the driver's seat next to Rick, the deputy drawing out a map from the glove compartment as the younger man proceeded to start the engine, swiftly pulling out of the driveway after he had made sure to ask one last time if Judith had to go to the bathroom before they went, to which she said no, shaking her head vividly.

 

* * *

The campsite was quiet, save for the occasional tweeting of birds up in the oak trees and the clatter of man-made technology as the Grimes started unpacking. They were settling near a clearwater stream where Daryl had guaranteed they would be able to wash up – if not, he had also found a lake about a mile south of their location on a previous hunting trip.

The trip hadn't taken too long, about an hour or so, but Carl had lost his cell phone reception halfway through, ranting about it like an old man would go on about “kids these days”. Rick chuckled at the image, shaking his head while Judith shushed her brother, apparently busy reading one of the books Daryl had brought for her so she wouldn't get bored on the way there, something about a boy with a giant peach growing in his backyard, or so Daryl had said.

Carl hopped off the second his father had parked the truck, saying something about needing to stretch his legs for a bit. Daryl paid him no mind, all too aware of the teenager's achy, evergrowing bones, settling on shooting a look Rick's way, silently asking him to keep an eye on their son. The deputy merely nodded before carrying their daughter out of the backseat, following the young man from a distance as Daryl started pulling their gear out of the truck's bed.

 

* * *

Rick and the children were back a short ten minutes later, Judith running up to Daryl and jumping in his arms to tell him all about the squirrels they saw running around in the tree branches, how cute and fluffy they were, how much she wished they would let her keep one as a pet and how her daddy had said “no” in that stern voice of his, the one she didn't like one bit.

“Now is that right?” He didn't even hide his smirk as he walked closer to his husband, their little girl safely tucked in his arms, pouting and purposefuly showing Rick her back.

“Well, yeah. It's illegal to keep a squirrel as a pet in Georgia. Sorry, sweetheart.” Rick offered an apologetic smile, hoping it would be enough to soothe his daughter's frustration, along with the hand that came up to stroke her hair gently.

“She'll get over it.” Daryl shrugged, his eyes following the movement of the deputy's hand on top of Judith's head, the little girl incapable of holding back a smile at the sweet gesture.

“Yeah, she will. Question is, will ya?” Rick smirked as Daryl scoffed before lightheartedly punching him in the shoulder, putting their daughter back down, and mumbling something about people who thought they were funny but were really just delusional, earning an offended “Hey!” from the very people he was talking about, and a giggle from the five year old.

They were done unpacking about an hour later. Rick had insisted he be the one putting up the tent and had to face several failed attempts before actually succeeding, now standing in front of it, pride emanating from his whole being. Carl couldn't help letting out a snort and a “It's about time!” before having to duck, narrowly avoiding a plastic spoon thrown his way by an offended Rick, Judith giggling happily at the playful banter while Daryl was hiding his grin behind a shake of the head.

Daryl was about to go and chop some wood for the fire – axe in hand and everything – when he caught sight of his son fidgeting nervously, staring at his phone hard enough the damn thing could very well go up in flames any minute now. Daryl sighed before grabbing an extra axe and tossing it to Carl, testing the teenager's reflexes as he called him out, his son catching the tool swiftly but not without dropping his phone in the process, a startled look on his face as he watched his cellular land on his sneaker with a quiet thud.

“What the hell, dad?” Surprise was audible in Carl's voice as he bent down to pick up his phone, checking it for cracks before shoving it in his pocket, his gaze now solely focused on his father.

“Yer coming with me.” Was all Daryl said before walking away, not even waiting to see if his son was following or not, the sound of hurried footsteps behind him answering that question a few seconds later, without him even having to turn around and check.

 

* * *

They walked in silence for a few minutes until they reached a spot previously used by campers and hunters of all kinds, with a few logs scattered on the ground near a battered stump. Daryl set his axe down on the wooden stub, motioning for Carl to stay put so his father could teach him the most effective way to swing the axe.

Carl practiced until Daryl was satisfied with his wood chopping abilities and decided to take a short break before seriously getting to work on the firewood. The teenager sat down on an overturned tree, pulling out his phone and letting out an agonizing sigh, his father quirking a brow in his direction as he took a sip out of the water bottle he had brought with them.

“There's like zero reception down here and I was talking to someone.” He sighed once more before burying his cell back in his front pocket, a frown permanently etched on his features as he looked up at his father, distress clear in his eyes.

“Someone?” Daryl didn't push, settling for a careful nudge to guide his son into telling him more as he propped a foot on the stump, focusing on retying his shoelaces properly instead of looking at his son to make sure he didn't get too uncomfortable, and decide to cut the discussion short.

“A girl. I like her. Like, a lot.” Carl admitted, his cheeks reddening at the revelation as he started fidgeting in his seat, looking anywhere but at his father.

“What's her name?” Daryl wasn't entirely sure he would get an answer out of that one, but he figured he should try anyway as he might find himself pleasantly surprised, his gaze now fixated on his son.

“Beth. Beth Greene.” Now his ears were turning red and his neck felt hotter than it had a minute ago, yet Carl risked a look at his father anyway, uneasiness spreading through him like wildfire.

“Maggie's sister, hu? Hershel ain't gonna like that very much.” Daryl jested, a small smile upturning his lips as he watched his kid turn fifty different shades of red before settling on crimson.

“You're not gonna tell him, are you?” Panic was all one could hear in Carl's voice as he started dreading the answer to that very question, already regretting his decision to talk to his father about girl stuff. What was he thinking? What did his father know about it anyway?

“Nah. Won't tell him if ya don't. 'Sides, dontcha think ya need to talk about it with Beth, first? At least that's how it worked back in my day.” Daryl grinned some more before sitting down next to his son, offering him the water bottle as he did so.

“Yeah, I guess... It's just...” Carl stopped mid-sentence, sighing for what seemed like the hundredth time that day before taking a swig out of the bottle, dropping his head when he was done, seemingly brought down by his very own concerns.

“It's just what?” Daryl wondered, all his focus on his son as he watched what looked like an internal battle between Carl and his own thoughts, debating whether or not he should tell his father what was really going on in his head.

“I kinda feel like I'm not good enough for her, you know? I mean... She's pretty, and kind. She's real smart and she can sing. She's got the whole package and I'm just here, looking like... Me.” Carl was still looking down at his own feet, afraid of what he might see if he looked up at his father right now, feeling him shift next to him.

“Now ya listen to me, Carl Grimes. Ain't nobody in this world too good for ya. Hell, in my book, yer good enough for the damn queen of England, so none of that self doubt bullshit, ya hear me?” Right as he said those words, Daryl cupped his son's chin, lifting his face up to get a good look at him, and most importantly, to get his point across. Nobody in this world was too good for his boy, that he was sure of. Now the thing he wasn't so sure of, was if anyone in this world was good enough for him.

“You're just saying that because you're my dad...” Carl was pushing it, he knew it, but he couldn't help it. In his eyes, he was nothing but an average kid with an hopeless crush on America's sweetheart.

“Listen, kid. I felt the same way for a long time. I was so convinced I was worth nothing when I met yer father that once he started showing interest in me, I thought I was imagining the whole damn thing.” Daryl admitted, his gaze unwavering as he stared in his son's eyes, trying to show him he could relate to what the teenager was currently going through, because he, too, went through the same ordeal.

“Seriously? I thought it was love at first sight between you two. That's what dad always says, anyway.” Carl looked downright confused, tilting his head to the side – a gesture that, Daryl noted, reminded him a little too much of his husband, in a good, almost rewarding way.

“It was. We fell in love right off the bat, but getting together wasn't that easy. To me, yer father was the kind of guy prom queens dated, way out of my league and completely off limits. Hell, I was a hundred percent sure he was straight. Turns out I was wrong.” Daryl chuckled at that, remembering how baffled he had been to find out  _the_  Rick Grimes was actually bisexual, and very much pining for the rude redneck who lived in the rundown shack by the forest. Talk about luck.

“Wait, you're telling me dad was the popular guy? I thought you were!” Carl seemed downright shocked by the mere fact that his hunter of a father was never the cool kid, and that his other father was, instead. The teenager had trouble processing that, and it showed on his face, his eyebrows quirked up to his hairline in a mix of shock, confusion, and interest.

“Nah, never. I was the scrawny kid showing up at school with a black eye and a fresh bruise every damn day. Now Shane and your father, they were the coolest kids on the block. Best of friends, inseparable really, and all the girls were drawn to them like moths to a flame. Little did I know yer dad only had eyes for me, in my book, it wasn't exactly a thing that could happen. Hell, I still don't get why he put up with me all this time.” Daryl snorted, remembering how hard it had been for him to fathom the fact that Rick fucking Grimes was even remotely attracted to him. The day Rick had told him, Daryl had looked at him like he'd grown a third eye. 

* * *

 

“Whatcha mean ya  _like_  me?” Daryl scowled at Rick, trying to hold his gaze for good measure but failing because good god, this guy had the most wonderful eyes he had ever seen in his entire life.

“I mean I _like_  like ya.” The young Grimes chuckled at that, cocking his head to the side in that purely endearing way of his, searching the other teenager's eyes in the process, hoping to see the same feelings Rick was trying to convey in the redneck's gaze.

“Yer kidding, right?” Daryl lifted his head to get a better look at the other boy, studying his features, looking for the slighest trace of mockery, his brows furrowed as he did so. This had to be it : a prank. There was no way anyone could  _ever_  like the redneck that way, let alone Rick fucking Grimes. He was nothing, a nobody, a ne'er-do-well, a fuckup... Someone like Rick had no business _liking_ him, ever.

“Now why would I joke about something like  _that,_ Daryl Dixon?” The oldest boy replied carefully, a smile still stretching his lips – his sinfully plump lips – as he took a tentative step forward, slowly stepping into the young Dixon's personal space.

“Because there ain't no way ya like me like  _that,_ that's why.” Daryl's whole body went rigid as Rick got closer, his gaze hardening as he zeroed in on the cerulean lagoons that made up the other boy's eyes and  _damn it,_ how could they be so  _blue?!_

“Ya think I'm lying?” The smile faltered off Rick's face, quickly replaced by a frown at the other's reluctance to believe him when he had just poured his feelings out to him. Well, not exactly poured them per say, more like hinted at them really hard, settling on something along the lines of “I think I like ya, Daryl Dixon” instead of the undying love confession the young Grimes had been downright itching to profess to the skeptical redneck in front of him.

“I ain't calling ya a liar, Grimes... I just... Really?” Daryl's walls seemed to break down at the mere thought of the other teenager even considering a relationship with him, his face opening up to reveal the most hopeful expression Rick had ever seen on the boy's face, the sight breaking his heart before patching it up again, relentlessly toying with his feelings for the Dixon.

“Yeah, really. Now are ya gonna let me kiss ya or what?” Rick gave a tentative grin as he took another step into the teenager's personal space, his hand reaching out for the other's before threading their fingers together and tilting his head, searching for an answer on the young Dixon's face.

The redneck gulped, hard, before nodding jerkily, not trusting his voice at the moment, too afraid of it breaking and making him look like a fool in front of his crush – no, wait. His soon-to-be-boyfriend? Daryl didn't even know. Hell, he didn't even care, or rather stopped caring the second he saw Rick lean in to kiss him, feeling his soft lips on his own in a matter of seconds.

Now this was probably the most cliché thing to say, but Daryl was pretty sure the world had stopped turning as soon as they started kissing. Well, as soon as Rick started kissing him, because as much as the redneck had dreamt of this moment, he found it impossible to move a single inch of his body, too afraid that if he did, it would all be over – like a cruel joke or another one of them horrendous nightmares he was so used to by now.

Rick seemed to have noticed that, choosing to bring his free hand up to cup the other boy's neck, silently encouraging him to make this kiss a little less one-sided and a little more consensual. This gesture spurred Daryl into action, his lips starting to move of their own accord, gently sliding them over the other's with varying degrees of pressure as he, too, brought his palm up to hold onto the back of the young Grimes' neck, deepening the kiss as he did so.

The older boy made an approving sound at the pleasant turn of events, his thumb stroking circles over the redneck's jawline as his fingers buried themselves further in his dirty blonde locks, mirroring the other teenager who was now threading his own in the dark curls at the base of the young Grimes' neck.

A stroke of Rick's tongue over the other's lips proved efficient in further deepening the kiss, Daryl letting go of his hand, running his own up the older boy's arm before joining his other palm around his neck, rejoicing at the feel of soft, bouncy curls against his skin. This prompted Rick to snake his now free arm around the teenager's waist, bringing their bodies closer as the kiss headed towards a more heated direction, teeth scraping over lips and pulling at them.

Daryl reluctantly broke the kiss, his need for oxygen becoming too great for him to ignore, seeing as he had stopped breathing sometime during the embrace. Now panting for air, his face red from the exertion, he felt a slight chill of embarrassment coming up his back, albeit quickly chased away by Rick's hand moving to hold onto his hip. The redneck, who had kept his eyes downcast the whole time, slowly lifted them up to take a peek at the other's face, only to find a blinding smile stretching reddened lips, reaching the blue of the young Grimes' eyes as he gazed down at Daryl with a look of utter adoration.

“Believe me now?” Was all it took for Daryl to nod frantically, the deep red of his face spreading from cheeks to ears. Rick chuckled at the redneck's adorable reaction before tucking a stray strand of hair behind a crimson ear, and leaning back down for a repeat of that first kiss.

* * *

 

“Wow, I had no idea. I mean I know how helpless you are flirting wise, but doubting yourself like that?” Carl seemed genuinely surprised by his father's revelation, eyeing him with both brows quirked up, his expression showing how interested he was in the older man's teenage state of mind.

“Hey, I'm sharing here, ya better keep yer snarky comments ta yerself if ya want that ta happen again.” Daryl drawled, lifting a hand to ruffle his kid's hair before dropping it to his shoulder, circling his arm around the teenager in a very one-sided hug, the young man halfheartedly trying to get away.

“Come on, dad, I'm just teasing. And just so you know, I do want that to happen again.” Carl stopped trying to squirm away from his father's embrace, flashing him an affectionate smile instead, purposely bumping his knee with the older man's as he shifted to get closer, appreciating the time spent with him and the little heart to heart they had just shared.

“Good, hope I could help.” Daryl gave his son a light squeeze on the shoulder as well as a slight grin, not even bothering to hide the joy he felt upon hearing the teenager's words.

“Yeah, you did. I think I'm gonna talk to her when we get back home.” Carl offered him a coy smile along with his words. The teenager wasn't even going to try and come up with a speech beforehand, he figured he'd do it as spontaneously as he could, he would probably be luckier if it was genuine.

“Ya do that. Now let's get back to work.” Was all Daryl said before getting up and grabbing his forgotten axe in one swift motion, a smile still plastered on his face. The older man tossed his son his very own tool as soon as he was up and standing, and together they started chopping wood, exchanging the occasional glance and making small talk every few logs.

 

* * *

They were back home three days later and Carl hadn't wasted a minute before he was jumping on his bike and riding to the Greene farm like his life depended on it. He made it there in an impressive ten minutes, hopping off the bicycle and tossing it on the floor to the side of the house's front porch, a sweating mess as he rang the doorbell with a heavy breath.

He was running a hand through his damp hair when Maggie opened the door, her face lighting up the second she saw him, asking him how his camping weekend had gone and what he was doing here. The teenager figured he might as well be polite and answer her, telling her about how he had taught his little sister how to fish and how his father had showed him a few cool things about tracking. The eldest Greene sister nodded, a smile still stretching her full lips as she did so.

Carl cleared his throat before speaking again, asking Maggie if her sister was here, to which the young woman gave a positive answer, stepping away from the door for the boy to come in, directing him to her little sister's bedroom. The teenager ran up the stairs, climbing them two at a time in his haste to get to Beth's door – in front of which he found himself effectively frozen in place.

What was he supposed to do now? Knock, probably. But after that? What was he supposed to say to her? He had promised himself he wouldn't try and plan what he was going to tell her but was now hating himself for making that stupid promise in the first place. “Spontaneity is so last year,” he thought as he raised his hand to the door, knocking firmly three times, willing for his body to relax. He only had to wait 7 seconds – he counted – before the blonde opened the door, a wide smile breaking out on her face upon seeing Carl standing there.

“Carl! You're back from your trip!” Beth beamed as she physically dragged him into her room, holding onto his arm with a strength he didn't know she had, closing the door behind them after she had successfully pushed him to sit on her bed.

“Yeah, I got back like 20 minutes ago, thought I'd come and say hi.” Carl gave her a shy smile, transfixed by her grace as she sat down next to him, light as a feather, blonde hair whipping gently at her back when she shifted to face him, still grinning.

“Well, in that case... Hi.” She was smiling a little less wide than she had before, but the light of it still reached her eyes, rendering Carl speechless for a moment. She was clearly awaiting a response from him but all he could do was  _stare,_ losing himself in the endless oceans of her eyes, glinting with something he wished were feelings for him, but deep down he knew it was just the light reflecting from the window making them sparkle.

“Right. Hi...” If Carl hadn't been maddeningly crushing over this girl, he could have sworn they were having a moment : gazing into each other's eyes, a slight smile tugging at their lips, Beth playing with a loose strand of golden hair... But the boy was no fool, this was far from the truth and it was probably just his brain making him see the things he wanted to see.

They sat in silence for a good minute before the Greene girl started asking him about his trip, Carl happily telling her everything in as much detail as he could, from the squirrels his sister had spotted up in the oak trees to the fish they had angled and fried for dinner, all the while conveniently failing to mention the talk he had had with his father about her. He knew what he was here for, and that was to confess his feelings to her, but he couldn't bring himself to mention the fact that he had actually talked about this – about her – to someone, especially not his father.

He took his time telling her about all the different kinds of birds he had seen while Daryl was giving him hunting lessons and that seeing them take off and fly high above the trees had been a freeing experience, and that he'd love to show her if she wanted to. Beth seemed absolutely ecstatic at the idea, wrapping her delicate hands around his arm as she nodded, urging him to tell her more.

“I saw a lot of butterflies, too, but one of them really caught my eye. Can you guess why?” His heart was beating out of his chest now, and he was practically sure she could hear the damn thing pumping clear as day, given how loud the sound was in his own ears.

“Um, I don't know... Was it colorful?” She was looking at him with those big, baby blue eyes of hers, blinking away the sunlight peeking through the blinds, her long lashes creating shadows over her cheeks, and  _damn it,_ she was so goddamn  _beautiful._

“Yeah, it was. It was an eastern tiger swallowtail, the state butterfly of Georgia. My dad said you could tell it was female because it was yellow and blue, and... Well, it made me think of you. Because of your hair, and your eyes. And because it was pretty.” He admitted, his skin crawling while a bright blush was making its apparition on his cheeks, tinting them a bright crimson as he forced himself to look at her.

Beth's eyes widened a little at that, and she was now wearing a startled expression, her gaze never leaving Carl's as a smile slowly but surely took its rightful place back onto her lips. She moved the hand she had kept on his arm this whole time to hold his own and intertwine their fingers, delicate as a flower, her other palm remaining on his wrist.

Her smile was seemingly contagious since it was now spreading to Carl's mouth, delicious warmth coursing through his body at the idea that she might be returning his feelings after all. He decided to put this theory to the test by lifting his free hand to tuck a lock of blonde hair behind an ear and leaning in as slowly as he could, making sure to give her enough time to pull back in case she felt differently.

She didn't.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @[richardsdaryl](http://richarsdaryl.tumblr.com)


End file.
